Information presented to the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee in 1989

IUCN carried out a monitoring mission to this site in March and has submitted an advisory report to the Director of National Parks. With the assistance of an IUCN/WWF project there have been many improvements to management of the park since it was inscribed in 1983. Most of the boundary has been marked, there are more field staff and guard posts and local extension programmes are regularly conducted. There are, however, several worrying issues that need attention. First is the colonisation pressure on the western boundary of the park and a proposal to excise a large section of land for settlement. A second problem is the lack of essential operating equipment as well as a research and public use programme. The 1979 management plan is also urgently in need of updating to address these problems and to include consideration of cooperative activities in the buffer zone. The FundaciOn Natura, a leading Ecuadorian NGO, is working with the Ministry of Agriculture with funds through a "debt swap" arrangement and has itemised a list of priority needs.

Action Required

The Bureau should express concern over the proposed excision and encourage the authorities in Ecuador to submit a formal request for technical assistance in time for consideration at the next Committee meeting.

Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 1989

IUCN carried out a monitoring mission to this site in March and has submitted an advisory report to the Director of National Parks.

With the assistance of an IUCN/WWF project there have been many improvements to management of the park since it was inscribed in 1983. Most of the boundary has been marked, there are more field staff and guard posts and local extension programmes are regularly conducted. There are, however, several worrying issues that need attention. First is the colonization pressure on the western boundary of the park and a proposal to excise a large section of land for settlement. A second problem is the lack of essential operating equipment as well as the lack of a research and public use programme. The 1979 management plan is also urgently in need of updating to address these problems and to include consideration of cooperative activities in the buffer zone. The Fundaciôn Natura, a leading Ecuadorian NGO, is working with the Ministry of Agriculture with funds through a "debt swap" arrangement and has itemized a list of priority needs.

On hearing of these problems, the Bureau requested the Secretariat to contact the Ecuadorian authorities to express its concern over the proposed excision and to encourage them to draw up a request for technical cooperation to support the elaboration of a revised management plan addressing many of the conflicting issues in the Park. The Bureau hoped that the request for technical cooperation could be submitted in time for examination by the Committee in December 1989.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 1989

Adopted

Draft Decision

13 BUR IV.B.6

Sangay National Park (Ecuador)

The Bureau learnt of several threats to this site, including a proposal to excise a large section of land for settlement. The Bureau requested the Secretariat to contact the Ecuadorian authorities to express its concern over the proposed excision and to encourage them to draw up a request for technical cooperation to support the elaboration of a revised management plan addressing many of the conflicting issues in the Park. The Bureau hoped that the request for technical cooperation could be submitted in time for examination by the Committee in December 1989.

13 COM VIII.16

SOC: Sangay National Park (Ecuador)

Sangay National Park (Ecuador)

The Committee noted that the Bureau had requested the Secretariat to contact the Ecuadorian authorities over possible excision of land from the park and to propose a request for technical cooperation to support a revised management plan. The Committee decided to ask the Secretariat to continue its efforts in these directions.

* :
The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).